I Can Help
by sandybeliever
Summary: Starsky and Hutch are called in to help a rock star who is being threatened. Starsky accompanies the man to Mexico while Hutch remains in Bay City. Follows my Alice storyline. Again, many thanks to my friend, Rescue45, who once again pushed me to make my story better. Love ya!


**I Can Help**

Allison put down little Davey's carrier in front of the couch and flopped down onto the cushions with a groan. "Be careful with Jamie, Suzanne," she called out after the girls who were heading up the stairs of the Hutchinson's home.

"I will, Mommy," Susie called back.

Jamie stopped mid-way and looked back at Allison. "I'm not a baby, Auntie Allison."

"I know you aren't, Honey. I'm sorry." Allison smiled and watched the girl continue up the stairs shaking her head as if she was disgusted with her aunt. Allison chuckled and looked down at the baby. "Thank you for being such a good boy, Davey." She was rewarded with a smile.

Alice came in from the kitchen carrying two glasses of ice water. She placed the glasses down on the coffee table then scooped up her nephew and sat him on her lap facing her. Supporting his neck with her outstretched fingers she bounced him lightly. "Ride, ride to Boston; ride, ride to Lynn. Watch out, Davey 'cause you're gonna fall iiiin." She widened the space between her knees and gently dropped the baby boy down and then pulled him back up onto her knees. His arms flailed out in surprise and then he giggled. "Oh, I love baby belly laughs."

Allison smiled through a yawn. "That's a cute little song. Did you learn that when you lived out in Boston?"

"My mother-in-law taught me that. It was a 'tradition,' as she explained it." Alice then stuck her nose in the air imitating the woman, making Allison laugh. "You look beat, Allison. Is the baby keeping you up?"

"No, not at all. He is a good boy. It's Susie that keeps me awake. She has too much energy and does _not_ want to go to bed. Once she is asleep, I'm still on high alert since she's pulled a few midnight high jinks."

"Hutch told me you found her climbing in the kitchen."

"The dining room, actually. I had taken away a toy when she was acting up and put it on top of the china cabinet. I forgot about it, but she didn't."

"Oh no, she could have hurt herself," Alice said as she turned Davey around so that he faced his mother.

Allison smiled tiredly at her son as she nodded. "She is a handful."

"So, do you think she is acting out after losing her mother – and her father, for that matter?"

"We thought that may be why so we spoke to her teachers at her old school and her old neighbors. The therapist she is seeing suggested we do that. Turns out, that is how she has always been. She's a hellion."

"Well, it's good that things are status quo…but I'm sorry."

Allison yawned again. "No, it's good. She's happy and adjusting well to life with us."

"How are you handling discipline?"

Allison rolled her eyes as she took a drink from her water glass. She reached into the diaper bag and pulled out a rattle, shaking it in front of Davey. His eyes got wide and he began to coo. "That's the problem. I believe in punishment and consequences but, David…that's another story." She sighed and yawned again.

"Oh oh," Alice said.

"David loves that little girl so much; he's starting to spoil her."

"Hey, I'm no parenting expert but I know the first rule is that you both need to be on the same page when it comes to discipline."

"I agree, believe me. Luckily, the therapist is helping me get that through David's thick head." She chuckled along with Alice. "You know what the funny part is?"

"No, what?" Alice asked, happy there _was_ a funny part.

"After having known David as a kid and after speaking to his mother about Susie, I would swear those two were actually father and daughter. She is so much like him! She even has his appetite." The two women laughed together until Allison's head dropped back onto the sofa cushion and she fell asleep.

Alice put the baby back in the carrier and tip-toed into the den. She came back with an afghan which she draped across her friend. She then picked up the carrier and whispered, "Come on, Davey, let's give your Mommy some time to rest and go see what those girls are up to."

~ S&H ~

"No way, Captain!" Hutch said as he paced his superior's office. Starsky sat in a chair and watched his partner, occasionally shooting glances over at Dobey to judge his reactions.

"You will take this case, Hutchinson."

"I'm not a babysitter. There are better things to do with my time than to watch after some spoiled rock star." Hutch sat down in the chair next to Starsky but then stood back up and resumed pacing.

"Look," Dobey began but Hutch cut him off.

"No, _you_ look…" Hutch pointed a long finger at his captain but then drew it back. He sat back down. "Sorry, Captain."

Dobey patted the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief, glad his detective was finally coming to his senses. "Jimmy Romeo is a big name in this town. He may live in LA but he does spend a lot of time – and a lot of money – here in Bay City." He paused as Hutch let out an exasperated sigh and leaned back in his chair. "Not only does the Mayor want my best men protecting him but Romeo himself requested you, Ken."

Hutch's head snapped up. "Me?"

"Yes, and don't ask me how he knows who you are."

Starsky looked back and forth between the two men then shifted forward in his chair. "Cap'n, can I ask exactly what has been going on that Romeo thinks he needs protection?" Dobey gave Starsky a look of thanks as he opened a file lying on his desk. He handed each detective a piece of paper from the file. Starsky reviewed the sloppily-made threat letter. He watched as Hutch did the same with the one Dobey had handed him.

Hutch tossed the letter back onto Dobey's desk. "I would think celebrities would get these types of threats all the time. What makes this so special?"

"Like I said, the Mayor would like to keep this celebrity alive and working and bringing much-needed revenue into the city." Dobey watched Hutch carefully and could see resignation on the blond man's face. "Uh, there is one more thing."

"What's that?" Hutch couldn't keep the sarcasm out of his voice.

"I'd like you to bring Jimmy Romeo to your house."

Starsky winced even before Hutch reacted, expecting exactly what he witnessed. Hutch stood up so fast, his chair scraped loudly on the linoleum floor. "What? No way, Captain. I'm not bringing anyone into my home!"

Dobey was out of his chair not long after Hutch. Starsky followed suit, ready to take his partner's side. "Look, Hutchinson. He's no threat to you."

"Don't give me that, Captain. If he truly is in danger, I will not bring that into my home!"

"We can disguise him, slip him in at night. No one will even guess he's there." Dobey again mopped his brow.

"No."

"He can come to my house," Starsky said meekly. When both Hutch and Dobey looked at him he gave a one shoulder shrug and smiled. "He's Jimmy Romeo, Hutch. How cool is that? I love his music." Starsky started playing air guitar but the attempt at lightening the mood fell flat. Hutch put his hands on his hips, turned his back to the others and stared at the floor.

Dobey's phone rang. He snatched the receiver from the cradle. "Dobey here." After a moment he mumbled a reply and hung up the phone. "Well, you don't have to worry about Romeo being in your house." Starsky looked up from his 'guitar' while Hutch spun around, keeping his hands on his hips. "He's disappeared."

~ S&H ~

Hutch got off the elevator on the top floor of the Ritz-Carlton. His mind wandered back to the time when Alice had just gotten back to Bay City and was staying at the same hotel. He allowed himself a small smile as he approached the penthouse door. He knocked on the door as Starsky wandered the hall with his hands clasped behind his back, looking impressed with his surroundings.

A young woman answered the door as Hutch pulled his badge from his pocket. "Ken Hutchinson, Bay City Police. This is my partner, Dave Starsky."

"Come in. My name is Emily Romano. I'm Mr. Romeo's manager." She stepped aside, allowing Hutch and Starsky to enter the penthouse.

Starsky let out a low whistle as he surveyed the room. Hutch shot him a disapproving look. "Oh, sorry about that," Starsky said sheepishly. He followed the woman to the couches in the center of the room. They took the two steps down the plush, white-carpeted steps. Starsky sunk into the rich cushions and stopped himself from whistling again when he saw Hutch glaring at him. He gave a slight shrug.

Emily sat across from them, dabbing at her eyes with the corner of a pink handkerchief. "Thank you for coming."

Hutch studied her a moment. She had olive skin and dark wavy hair that hung to her shoulders. He could see she was honestly upset about her the star's disappearance and not just because he signed her checks. "Miss Romano, can you tell me the last time you saw Mr. Romeo?"

"I saw him this morning at breakfast here in the penthouse. He left about 10 A.M. He didn't show up for rehearsal this afternoon and he has never missed one."

"That seems early for a rock star to be up and out the door," Starsky said, resting his elbows on his knees and folding his hands.

"Yes, I guess it does seem early. But he didn't have a show last night. He really isn't a night owl like you would expect him to be, though. He will do the obligatory after party when required but he'll come straight back and go to bed.

"Really?" Hutch asked, surprised.

Emily allowed a small smile. "He isn't your typical rock star, Mr. Starsky."

"Uh, I'm Starsky, he's Hutchinson," Starsky said pointing at Hutch.

"Oh, I'm so sorry."

Starsky shot her his winning grin, "Happens all the time."

Emily studied both men for a moment as if she was committing their names and possibly more to memory. Hutch was starting to like the woman.

"Can you give us any more information? Where was he going?"

"Unfortunately, I don't know." She saw the look of disbelief on the detectives' faces. "Yes, I know I am his manager but he doesn't share the details of…" her voice trailed off.

"Details of?" Hutch pressed.

Emily sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose as if she had a headache. "Jimmy is a very private person. He does a lot in the community but…he doesn't want it to be publicized."

"Community work? I'm sorry, Miss Romano, but in order for us to help find him, we will need to know more."

Emily nodded her head vigorously. "Yes, yes, of course. I'm sorry. It is just that I've gotten so used to protecting him, you know?" Hutch smiled slightly and nodded. "Whenever we are in a large city like this, he'll go out in some old ratty clothes and a baseball cap and glasses. He'll talk to the people on the streets. The junkies, the bums – people that other folks may just ignore. He calls them 'the invisibles.'"

"What does he do for them?" Starsky asked, intrigued.

"It depends. Once he hears their story, gets to know them, he may give them money or help them get a job. It is different every time. A lot of the time, they never know who has helped them. To them, Jimmy is just another invisible."

Hutch sat back and absorbed what he had been told. After a moment, he said, "We have an APB out on Jimmy and his Corvette. May I use your phone to update them on his appearance?"

As Emily pointed to the phone on a nearby desk along the windows, Starsky got up. "I'll take care of that, Hutch."

"He had on ripped jeans, a black baseball cap and a faded green Grateful Dead sweat-shirt."

After Starsky stepped away to make the call, Hutch continued to ask Emily questions. "So, you don't have any idea exactly who he sees on these…outings?"

Emily shook her head then looked up, her eyes wide. "I do have some sketches, maybe that will help?"

"Sketches?" Hutch asked, confused.

"Yes. When we are on the road between gigs, he will sketch some of the people that he has met. Let me get his sketch pad."

Starsky had finished the call and sat back down as Emily left the room. He strolled over to a small table and picked up a framed photo. He turned it around to show Hutch. It was a photo of Jimmy Romeo with some of the members of The Rolling Stones. "Look at this, Hutch; The Stones."

"Put it down, Starsky," Hutch said quietly. Starsky made a face and placed the frame back on the table.

In a moment Emily returned with a large pad in her hands. "This is his most recent one. There are others on the bus but since we have been here a few days, I'm sure the ones at the back are from this area."

Hutch took the pad and flipped quickly through the earlier sketches. He was impressed with the drawings. They seemed to capture the souls of the people depicted in them. He stopped at one. "It's Teddy." Hutch turned the pad so that Starsky could see the drawing more clearly.

"You know him?" Emily asked then tapped herself on the forehead with the heel of her hand. "Well, of course you do." She smiled when Hutch laughed.

"Good ole, Teddy. He's working at the Salvation Army now. He's really cleaned up his act," Starsky said then grinned, realizing that Jimmy Romeo may be the reason Teddy was now on the straight and narrow.

Emily was nodding. "Jimmy will tell me these peoples' stories as he sketches. I never meet them but I feel in a way I have, once the sketch is done.

"Larry Horvath!" Hutch exclaimed after shuffling through a few more sketches.

"Now, there is a success story. Do you know Jimmy actually learned some sign language in order to communicate with him?"

"No kidding?" Starsky asked, grinning.

Hutch stopped on the next sketch, his mouth agape. "Alice." Starsky looked down to see the beautiful face of his partner's wife smiling up from the paper.

Emily leaned back with a grin. "She is a wonderful woman. She was a prostitute but got off the streets and has a family. She is even going to college." Hutch looked over at Starsky. "Jimmy can't take credit for her success, though. She did it on her own."

"I don't understand, I thought you said these were from the past few days. Why is Alice in here?"

"Well, she happened to come by for a visit the other day. That must be why he drew her."

"She was here? When?" Hutch asked. He again glanced at Starsky wondering if he should mention his connection to Alice. Starsky gave him a slight nod, understanding the unspoken communication.

"Monday, I believe. She stopped by after her class. She was telling Jimmy that she wanted to start a business and asked for his opinion on how she could do the most good." Emily was chatting easily about the woman but suddenly realized Hutch was asking more questions than a casual inquiry. "Is there a reason you seem concerned?"

Hutch smiled after hearing why Alice had visited Jimmy Romeo. She hadn't even mentioned she knew the man but he understood why now. She didn't want to betray Romeo's confidence. "Alice is my wife."

Emily's hands flew to her mouth. "What? Oh my gosh, you're her husband? Of course, it makes sense now. She told us that she married a police detective. She just lights up when she talks about you."

Starsky chuckled as Hutch blushed. "The feeling is mutual," Starsky added.

Hutch flipped to the last drawing in the book. It was a sketch of a man that he didn't recognize. He appeared to be white in his early thirties. His face was partially obscured by a news boy hat but Hutch saw a smattering of freckles across the bridge of his nose. Hutch turned the pad toward Emily. "Do you know this man?"

Emily shook her head as she studied the drawing. "No, but I have seen him in previous sketches. I don't recall Jimmy talking about him. Sorry."

Hutch studied it closer. "Starsky, see this in the background?"

Starsky leaned over and ran a finger along the paper. "It almost looks like a gazebo."

"That's what I thought. See the water here. This looks like Maple Street Park."

"Could be, yeah," Starsky replied.

Hutch closed the sketch pad and handed it back to the woman. "You have been very helpful, Miss Romano. If you think of anything else or hear from Jimmy, please give us a call." Hutch pulled out his card from his wallet and handed it to her.

"Thank you. Thank you, both." Emily moved to the door and showed Starsky and Hutch out.

Out in the hall, Starsky punched the elevator button as he studied Hutch. "You're not upset about Alice not telling you she was here?"

Hutch shook his head as he toed at the carpet. "No." He looked up at Starsky. "Romeo is very private. I understand. That also explains why he asked specifically for me."

The elevator doors opened and Starsky stepped inside followed by his partner. He clasped his hands behind his back after hitting the button for the lobby. "I always said you were a lucky man but she's a lucky woman, you know."

Hutch grinned as the doors closed.

When they headed for Hutch's Firebird, they could hear the radio before they reached it. Hutch hurried to unlock the doors then climbed inside and grabbed the mic. "This is Zebra Three, go ahead."

_Patching through Captain Dobey._

"This is Hutchinson."

Dobey's voice came from the speaker._ Hutch, Jimmy Romeo's car was found._

"Where, Captain?"

_Jackie's Galaxy Restaurant on Tidewater._

"Roger that, we are on our way." Hutch replaced the mic and gunned the engine. "It's gonna be a busy night, Partner."

Hutch parked next to the white 1968 Corvette Stingray in the restaurant parking lot. "Anything, Bernie?"

The uniformed officer shook his head. "Nothing. Locked up tight. Looks like he parked it here, went in the restaurant but then just disappeared. See Lola inside; she waited on him."

"Thanks." Hutch headed into the restaurant. Starsky admired the Corvette for a few minutes then hustled after his partner.

Hutch was showing his badge to a bleach blonde waitress in a pink dress with a white apron. She chewed noisily on a stick of gum, too-bright lipstick smeared on her front tooth.

"Yeah, I waited on him. He was here earlier today. I didn't know the car was his until the manager called to have it towed."

"What time was he here?" Hutch asked.

"I don't know, about 11 maybe. Before the lunch rush, I remember that much."

"Who was he with?"

The woman sighed and rolled her eyes. "Look, I don't know. I'm busy, I see a lot of people."

Starsky stepped forward. "You just said it was before the lunch rush. And 11 A.M. is way past the breakfast rush."

The woman looked Starsky up and down through slitted eyes as if she found him distasteful. "Some other young guy. White. He was wearing a tweed jacket and a hat. I remember that because he kept it on at the table. Ya know, what happened to decent table manners? Used to be, a man removed his hat inside, let alone at the table." She snapped her gum. "Ya know what I'm sayin'?"

Starsky sneered back at her. "Ya, I know what your sayin'. Now what did he look like – the other guy?"

"All I remember is he looked Irish or Scottish. Especially with that hat and the red hair and freckles."

"Did you say freckles?" Hutch asked but he didn't expect an answer. Instead he was looking at Starsky who was thinking the same thing. "Sounds like the same guy."

"I know. I wish we had that drawing," Starsky answered, heading toward the door. Hutch followed him out. A tow truck was now in the parking lot and had the Corvette on the back. Bernie stood waiting next to his cruiser. "Bernie, are you done here?"

"Yeah, just leaving."

"Do us a favor and head down to the Ritz-Carlton. Ask for Emily Romano in the penthouse. Tell her we'd like to borrow the last sketch in the book – she'll understand what that means. Then drop it off on my desk before you head home, got it?"

"Got it, Starsky. No problem."

"Thanks, Bernie," both Starsky and Hutch called after the man.

Hutch got back into the Firebird. "Let's just take a ride through that park, huh Starsk?"

"My thoughts exactly, Pal." Starsky got into the passenger seat and closed the door as Hutch backed up and headed out of the parking lot.

They spotted the glow from the bonfire before they even reached the park gates. The sign "Closed at Sunset" hung at an angle. One gate was completely off its hinges; the other was pushed back and held open with a rotting log. Hutch killed the headlights and coasted into a parking spot. He and Starsky stepped close enough to see the group of derelicts gathered around the fire. They recognized four of the five men there; the fifth was an older black man.

"I'm surprised there aren't more people around that fire what with winter here," Starsky said as he headed back to Hutch's car. "Let's take a roll around the rest of the park. Then maybe Huggy has something for us."

"You mean dinner?" Hutch laughed as he got back in his car.

"No, I meant information. But, yeah, I am starving."

"You are always starving, Starsk."

Hutch swung by the station so that Starsky could pick up the drawing that Bernie had delivered to his desk only moments before. They then headed to The Pits.

"Hello there, _mes amis_," Huggy said as Hutch came into his bar followed by Starsky.

"Mess a what?" Starsky asked.

"He's saying hello to us, that's all, Starsk." Hutch sat down at a table since their customary booth was occupied.

"What can I do ya for, gents?"

"I'll take a double cheeseburger with the works."

"Starsky, the drawing," Hutch said, trying to contain his need to roll his eyes toward Huggy.

"Huh?"

Hutch snatched the folded paper out of his partner's jacket pocket.

"Oh, that," Starsky said and smirked.

"Does this guy look familiar to you, Hug?" Hutch smoothed the paper out on the table.

Huggy picked up the sketch and tipped it toward the light nearby. "It's hard to say with his face in shadow." Huggy lowered the drawing and grinned, "Did your camera break?" After neither of the detectives cracked a smile, he cleared his throat and went back to studying the drawing. "It looks a bit like someone I've been seeing around on the streets the last six months or so."

"Got a name?" Starsky asked. "And are you going to put my order in, Hug?"

"Starsky, please," Hutch said, exasperated.

"What? I'm _hungry_."

"McGuire was the last name. Garth McGuire? No, Gareth. Gareth McGuire. I can't really be sure if this is him, though."

Hutch pulled his notebook from his pocket and scribbled the name down. "Do you have any information on him? Where we can find him?"

"No, sorry. But I'll keep my ears and eyes open."

"Thanks, Buddy," Hutch said. He looked over at Starsky who looked in pain. "Look, bring me a turkey on rye and a sweet tea. You already know what my partner wants – or should I say, _needs_." Hutch patted Starsky on the shoulder who then smiled meekly.

~ S&H ~

Starsky came into the kitchen in the morning. Allison had given Susie her breakfast and fed little Davey. She was just finishing putting together Susie's lunch. Starsky kissed Susie on the head and then tickled his son under the chin.

"Looks someone enjoyed their oatmeal," Starsky said grinning at Davey whose face was covered in food. The baby replied with a belch. "That's my boy!" He came over and pulled Allison to him and gave her a kiss. "Good morning, Beautiful."

"Good morning, David." Allison opened Susie's book bag to put her lunch box inside. She stopped and stared into the bag. She reached in and pulled out a box of matches. "Suzanne Speelman, what is this?" Allison spun around and held the matches out in front of her.

Susie froze mid-bite. "I…I found them on the sidewalk yesterday."

"You are too young to be playing with matches. _No one_ should play with matches. Do you know how dangerous they are?" Allison glanced over at Starsky for back-up. She could in his eyes that he did not want to yell at their foster daughter so Allison glared at him.

Starsky cleared his throat. "Susie, Allison is right. You should never touch matches or lighters. We don't want you to get hurt. And you could hurt someone else too."

"I wouldn't do that," Susie replied, her eyes darting between her two foster parents.

"You may not mean to," Allison said, "but what if you tried lighting one and the house caught on fire. What about Davey? He could be burned."

Susie looked over at the baby she now felt was her brother and her eyes misted up. "No. No, I don't want Davey to get hurt."

"I'm throwing these away. Will you promise me you won't bring anything dangerous home again?"

"I promise, Allison," Susie said quietly, looking back at little Davey who sat happily cooing at the stuffed monkey in his lap.

Starsky took his freshly poured coffee and sat down at the table next to Susie. "Pretty soon, Davey will start crawling and then walking. He could find something like that and hurt himself. But we also don't want you to get hurt, Susie Q. We love you and want you to be safe." Starsky smiled as the little girl nodded at him.

"I love you too, Stars."

Starsky smiled. Susie had started to call him by the nickname Jamie used not long after she moved in with them. He pulled her close and kissed her. Starsky looked up at Allison and mouthed 'Okay?' at her. Allison nodded and went back to packing Susie's bag.

"Are you sure you don't want breakfast, David?"

"No, we need to get into work early. We have no leads on the case we are on. It is going to be a tough day, I think."

"Stars, can I ask you a question?" Susie asked as she poked at her breakfast with her fork.

"You just did, but go ahead and ask another one."

"Why do you call Allison 'Laura'?"

Starsky glanced up at Allison and saw she was surprised by the question.

Starsky took a sip of his coffee. "Well, Allison and I knew each other when we were kids – just a little older than you are now. Back then, that's what I called her so I still do. But everyone else calls her Allison."

"Nuh uh, Grammy Martyna calls her Laura too."

"Ah, that's right. Good memory."

"I like that she lets me call her Grammy."

"I like that too," Starsky said. He watched the little girl for a moment as he finished his coffee. "Is there something else you want to ask me?" He had a feeling he knew what the question was.

"Will I be able to call you Mommy and Daddy?"

Allison joined them at the table and sat on the opposite side of Susie. She took her hand and looked up at Starsky who nodded to her. "David and I would love for you to be able to call us that someday, Susie." Suzanne looked up and Allison saw a tear pooled in the corner of Susie's eye. Her own eyes misted over.

"Hey," Starsky said putting his hand under Susie's chin and turning her face toward him, "it doesn't matter if I call Allison 'Allison' or 'Laura.' I still love her with all my heart. And I love you no matter what you call me. Understand?" Susie nodded and smiled. "Everyone loves you. Hutch loves you and Allison calls him Ken. And Alice loves you and she calls me Starsky like Hutch does. And Jamie sure loves you."

"And you call her James," Susie said, knowing what Starsky was going to say.

"Yeah, that's right. See how it works? It all means love, right?" Starsky said, giving her a tickle in the ribs.

"Right!" Susie stood up and wrapped her arms around Starsky's neck and kissed him. She then went to Allison and did the same to her.

Allison wiped a tear from her eye and sniffled. "Go get your jacket. Don't forget, we are going to pick out our Christmas tree soon so after school we are going to go shopping for Christmas decorations."

"Yay," both Starsky and Susie said in unison and Allison laughed.

Next door, Hutch came into the kitchen buttoning his shirt. His hair was still wet from the shower. Alice handed him a glass of his usual breakfast. "Thanks, Love," he said, leaning down to kiss his wife on the cheek.

"You're welcome, Handsome Hutch," Alice said in a throaty whisper. She looked up at Hutch with love in her eyes.

"Alice, we have to talk." He took her hand and led her into the living room.

"What's wrong?" Alice asked as she sat down next to him.

"I know I never talk about my cases but I think you need to know something."

"Is it one of the girls?" Alice asked, referring to her former coworkers, the friends who still worked the street corners.

Hutch shook his head, "No, Sweetie. Jimmy Romeo has disappeared."

"Jimmy?" Alice exclaimed. Alice began wringing her hands then looked up at Hutch with confusion and worry in her eyes. "Wait, how did you…?"

Hutch took her hands in his and rubbed them until she began to relax. "I was at his hotel room. You were in his sketch book."

Alice's eyes widened, "Oh that's right." She looked down at his hands holding hers. "You aren't upset, are you?"

"No, Honey. I understand that you didn't want to betray his confidence. I don't know what's going on but he disappeared yesterday sometime after ten in the morning. We don't have much to go on."

"He has to be okay. He has to." Alice squeezed Hutch's hands. "Please find him. The world can't lose someone like Jimmy Romeo."

"I'll try, you know I will," Hutch said as the phone rang. Alice nodded sadly and let go of his hands. He jogged into the kitchen and answered the phone. After a few minutes he hung up and began to tuck his shirt in. "That was Huggy, Love. Maybe he has something that will help find Jimmy." Hutch grabbed his jacket. He and Starsky now kept their guns locked in their cars. They also had their personal weapons hidden in their houses in case of emergency.

Alice came into the kitchen. "Be careful, Hutch."

Hutch smiled and kissed her. "Always," he said softly. He headed out into the yard and spotted Starsky in his yard next door. "You ready, Starsk?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Starsky called out. As Starsky approached Hutch's Firebird, Hutch told him about the call from Huggy. After retrieving their weapons, the two men jumped into the car and sped off towards The Pits.

"Whataya have for us, Hug?" Starsky asked when Huggy came out of the kitchen at The Pits.

"Let's sit down," Huggy said, pulling out a chair at a table in the middle of the room. Since the restaurant wasn't yet open, they didn't have to worry about being overheard. "I've been putting out some feelers on your man, McGuire."

"And?" Hutch asked, impatiently.

"And he went from being a no one hanging out at Maple Street Park to suddenly flashing a lot of money around town. I'm hearing he's setting up a new drug ring here in the city."

Hutch glanced over at Starsky. "Jimmy's money."

"Most likely," Starsky said with a sneer.

"Jimmy who?" Huggy asked.

Hutch shook his head, "It doesn't matter, Hug. What else have you heard?"

"Not much, but there are whispers of a big deal in Mexico. I can't confirm or deny that, though."

Hutch sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "But this doesn't answer where Jimmy is. Even if McGuire wanted more cash, taking Jimmy hostage won't get him anything."

"Unless he's planning on asking for ransom," Starsky said, sitting up straight.

"Yeah, but he would have made that call by now," Hutch answered. Starsky nodded and slumped down in his seat.

"Hey, look you two. If you want me to help you, you're gonna need to tell me who the hell you are talking about." Huggy sat back and crossed his arms across his chest. The phone behind the bar began to ring so Huggy got up to answer it.

"He's right, ya know," Starsky said. Hutch nodded.

"It's Dobey," Huggy said as he brought the phone around the bar and placed it on the table.

Hutch took the phone. "This is Hutch, what do you have, Captain? What? When? Okay, we are on our way." Hutch hung up the phone. "Jimmy's back."

"Where?" Starsky asked, surprised.

"At his penthouse," Hutch said, standing up. "Huggy, thanks for the information. If we need more information on McGuire, I promise we'll give you the whole story. But it looks like the case may be closed."

"Sure, no problem, Hutch," Huggy said as he watched the two detectives rush out of the bar.

Hutch stepped into the hall outside the penthouse and rang the bell. Emily Romano answered the door. Despite the relieved smile, Hutch thought he saw worry on her face too.

"Come in."

Hutch and Starsky walked into the penthouse and looked around. "Where is he?" Hutch asked.

"He'll be out in a minute. He went to wash up. He was pretty rumpled and I don't think he's slept since yesterday morning by the looks of him."

"Where has he been?" Hutch asked but Emily didn't have a chance to answer. Jimmy Romeo came from down the hall dressed in zip-up sweatshirt, jeans and tennis shoes. Hutch could see Starsky's smile at the sight of the rock star. "Mr. Romeo?"

"Yes, but call me Jimmy," he replied reaching out to shake Hutch's hand and then Starsky's.

"Jimmy, this is Ken Hutchinson and Dave Starsky." Emily gestured for everyone to sit down as she stepped down into the sunken living room.

"I'm sorry to have worried everyone," Jimmy said as he sat down next to Emily. She wrapped her arms around his upper arm and smiled up at him. "Em knows that I sometimes get caught up with the people I am helping."

"But you didn't call, Jimmy. You never do that."

"I know, Em. I'm sorry. It was a pretty heavy scene." Hutch watched the man as he reached for a coffee cup on the table in front of him and saw his hand shaking slightly. Jimmy took a sip and made a face. "Cold."

"I'll get some more," Emily said and stood up. "Would you like some?" she asked Starsky and Hutch.

"Yes, thank you," Hutch said but as he looked up at her he could see in her eyes that she needed him to follow her. "Let me help you, Miss Romano."

"Call me Emily." They walked into the kitchen and as the door swung closed Emily turned to Hutch. "He's hiding something."

"I think you are right, Emily. I don't know him but he looks scared to death."

"I can't get him to tell me anything. I don't think he'll open up to you either."

"Let's just see if we can talk some more. Let him see that he can trust us," Hutch said taking the tray that Emily pulled from a cabinet. She placed coffee cups, a decanter of coffee and milk and sugar on the tray.

She held the swinging door open for Hutch and he carried it to where Starsky and Jimmy were sitting.

"Thanks, a lot, Sergeant. I'm glad you enjoy my music," Jimmy was saying to Starsky.

"Hey, call me Dave. And my partner is Ken," Starsky said, grinning.

"Oh, Jimmy, Ken is Alice's husband," Emily said brightly but then her cheeks tinged pink. "Oh, you knew that, didn't you?"

Jimmy nodded and picked up a coffee mug. He lifted the coffee decanter but had to put it back down quickly as his hands were shaking too much. "Sorry about that," he said as Hutch took it from him and poured everyone a cup. "Long night. I just want to get some sleep before we head down to Tijuana."

Both Starsky and Hutch looked sharply at each other then back at Jimmy. "You're going to Mexico?"

Jimmy put his coffee cup down, his face awash with worry. "Yeah, why?"

Emily looked back and forth from Jimmy to the detectives. "He has a concert there in three days."

Hutch leaned across the coffee table, "Jimmy…" he began.

"Hey, Dave, would you like an autographed album?" Jimmy jumped up and headed for the grand piano that sat in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows. Hutch, Starsky and Emily sat in silence, shocked by the man's cavalier attitude. Jimmy stood with his back to them, resting his hands on the piano for a moment. He then reached for the sheet music that was lying on the piano bench. He took a pen and scribbled across the paper and came back down into the living room. "Here you go," he said, a little more loudly than necessary.

Starsky took the paper and read the words written on it. _I'm wearing a recording device._

Starsky's eyes widened but he played along. "Hey, thanks a lot, Jimmy. I love this album."

Hutch reached out toward Jimmy's shirt collar but he drew back so Hutch pulled his own open. Jimmy understood and pulled his collar back to show a small black mic taped on his upper chest.

"Hey, I bet Starsky would love to hear you play." Hutch gestured toward the stereo.

Jimmy pulled one of his albums from its sleeve. He placed the needle on an acoustic track. As soon as the music started, he slowly opened his shirt and carefully pulled the tape from the mic and pulled the equipment from his belt. Hutch took it and placed it carefully down on top of the piano near the stereo then took hold of Jimmy's arm and motioned with his head that they head out of the room.

Emily led them into a bedroom. As soon as they were all assembled and the door was closed, she blurted out, "Jimmy, what's going on?"

Jimmy took her by the shoulders to try to settle her. "I'm sorry, Em."

"We don't have a lot of time – and let's all pray that record doesn't skip," Starsky said.

Jimmy quickly explained that Gareth McGuire had demanded more money from him but when he refused he kidnapped him, bound and gagged him and took him somewhere outside the city. He demanded that Jimmy meet up with a drug supplier in Tijuana at his next concert stop and bring the goods back to Bay City.

"He threatened my family," Jimmy said, pulling Emily close. He saw the confusion on Starsky and Hutch's faces. "Emily is my sister. No one knows that but somehow McGuire found out." He looked down at Emily. "He also knows where Mom and Dad live, Em."

"Oh my God, Jimmy," Emily said, her tears flowing. "What are we going to do?"

Hutch reached out and put a consoling hand on Emily's arm. "We'll figure this out, don't worry. But we need McGuire to keep thinking Jimmy is going on with the plan. We'll put that wire back on. Emily, can you get a pad of paper and some pencils so we can communicate that way?"

"Yes, of course."

"I think that song is about to end, let's get back out there!" Starsky said, opening the bedroom door and quickly heading back toward the living room. He carefully picked up the bugging device and reattached it to Jimmy. Hutch stood at the stereo and lifted the needle as the song ended. Starsky stood close to Jimmy and clapped and whistled to cover the sound of Jimmy zipping up his shirt.

"Thank you, Dave, Ken. And thanks again for trying to help. Sorry to have you out on a wild goose chase like that."

Starsky headed for the door as Hutch said, "Don't worry about it." Hutch took the pad of paper and pencils from Emily. Starsky then took her by the arm and pulled her out into the hall with him.

When Starsky closed the door, Emily asked, "What are you doing?" She looked down at where he still held her wrist.

"I'm getting you out of here."

"No, I won't leave him."

"Look, he is afraid for you and he has a right to be. If I can get you someplace safe, he'll be able to concentrate on helping us find McGuire. I'll also arrange for protection for your parents. Now let's go."

"Okay," Emily said nervously, looking back at the penthouse door. She followed Starsky to the elevator.

Starsky used the phone in the lobby, asking for a police car to meet them at the back of the hotel in case McGuire was watching the front. He also arranged for a policewoman to take Emily's place and described her. Emily gave him their parents' address so that Dobey could have the local police post protection at their home.

Starsky returned to the penthouse with the undercover policewoman. He opened the door quietly and stepped inside. Jimmy was sitting at the piano, playing nervously while Hutch stood by writing out messages. Hutch saw the woman with Starsky and pointed at her and mouthed 'Emily' to Jimmy who nodded.

"Hey, Em, I'm getting hungry. Why don't you heat up that leftover pizza?"

"Sure," the woman answered simply so that a change in her voice would not be noticed.

Starsky approached Hutch and read through his notes. Jimmy would leave as scheduled for Tijuana and make the connection with the Mexican dealer. He would then come down with a faked throat ailment, skip the concert and head back to Bay City to meet up with McGuire as planned. Starsky nodded his approval of Hutch's plan. Since the policewoman would be with Jimmy and Dobey would be arranging for assistance with the Mexican authorities, he didn't want both Starsky and Hutch to accompany Jimmy and his crew. He wanted one of them to stay behind but left it up to them to decide who would go and who would stay.

Hutch pulled out a quarter and looked at Starsky to call it. Starsky shook his head, took the quarter from Hutch and pocketed it. He then made a fist. Hutch knew Starsky wanted to play rock/paper/scissors. He rolled his eyes, looked at Jimmy and made a face. Jimmy smiled a weary smile.

Starsky won the game and would accompany Jimmy and the crew. He wrote down on the paper that as soon as they were outside the city, they could remove the listening device and stow it in Jimmy's tour bus but leave it on so that McGuire would only hear muffled sounds. Even if McGuire had an accomplice tailing them, the reception on the road would be bad enough that someone would not suspect anything when the connection became unclear. Jimmy sighed in relief. He went back to playing the piano to keep up the front of composing.

'Emily' came in from the kitchen carrying a tray with pizza and cold drinks. Jimmy stood up and shook Hutch's hand as Hutch motioned that he would be leaving.

"Thanks, Emily. That smells great," Jimmy said. "I'm going to eat and then head to bed. I'm exhausted and we'll be getting on the road at dawn tomorrow."

"Okay," the policewoman said and left the room.

Starsky walked Hutch to the door. Hutch opened it quietly and stepped out into the hall but turned back and looked at his best friend. Starsky smiled and nodded, knowing that Hutch was telling him-without words-to be careful. Starsky mouthed _see you soon_ and shut the door.

Hutch stood in the hall staring at the closed door for a moment. He didn't like leaving his partner but knew this was the best way to handle the case. He headed for the elevator with plans to go see Allison and explain what was going on and also to pack a bag of clothes and other items to drop off at the tour bus for Starsky before calling it a night.

~ S&H ~

As the bus got on the highway, Jimmy carefully removed the microphone. Starsky slid open a cabinet near the front of the bus and put the device in, shutting the door tight. They all breathed a sigh of relief.

Starsky looked around. "This is a pretty nice bus, Jimmy."

"It outta be for the price," Jimmy said, grinning. He looked over to Sharon, the policewoman was posing as Emily. "I know we will be staying in a hotel in Tijuana but you can have the stateroom at the back if you want to lie down."

"No, I wouldn't dream of taking your room, Jimmy. I'm fine here on a bunk with Starsky." Emily instantly regretted the way she worded it but breathed a sigh of relief when Starsky just kept admiring the bus' accoutrements. She had heard that once the detective got engaged, all flirting with women in the department had stopped and this proved it.

"Are you sure?" Jimmy asked. "You are taking time out of your life to help me. It is the least I can do."

"Hey, I grew up in a house with 3 sisters and me in one room. I'm still having trouble adjusting to a normal bed." Sharon grinned.

Jimmy laughed lightly. "Okay then. Well, here is the head – sorry, bathroom. The galley is pretty stocked so if you get hungry, help yourself."

Starsky plucked at an acoustic guitar that was attached to a wall.

"You play, Dave?"

Starsky shrugged. "A bit."

Jimmy came over and unfastened the guitar and handed it to Starsky. "Please, be my guest. We have quite a while to wait so we might as well make it as pleasant as possible."

Starsky could see the man was extremely nervous about tomorrow's drug deal so he took the guitar and sat down. He played around a little and then began to play 'Winterwood' by Don MacLean.

_No-one can take your place with me, _

_And time has proven that I'm right. _

_There's no place I'd rather be, _

_Than at your place for the night. _

_No time can pass your sight unseen. _

_No moment steals away unfound. _

_Lifetime lived in such a dream, _

_Floats like a feather to the ground. _

Jimmy started to sing along at the chorus and then Sharon joined in right after.

_And for the first time I've been seeing _

_The things I'd never notice, without you. _

_And for the first time I'm discovering _

_The things I used to treasure, about you. _

_The birds like leaves on Winterwood, _

_Sing hopeful songs on dismal days. _

_They've learned to live life as they should. _

_They are at peace with nature's ways. _

_You are as natural as the night, _

_And all that springs from you is good. _

_And the children born beneath your light, _

_Are like the birds on Winterwood._

Starsky blushed as Jimmy and Sharon applauded at the end of the song.

"That was good, Dave," Sharon said.

"Well, I'm not as good as my partner but, thanks. I sing that to my wife once in a while. The line about discovering the things I used to treasure really rings true for me."

"Why's that?" Jimmy asked, relaxing back into the sofa across from where Starsky was sitting.

"Well, Allison and I were childhood friends from about eight years old to when she was twelve and I was thirteen. We didn't see each other again until just a few years ago."

"You must have kept in touch when she moved away, right?"

Starsky looked down and sat quietly for a moment. Sharon looked over at Jimmy with a look of confusion in her eyes. Jimmy shrugged.

"I'm sorry. Maybe we shouldn't talk about it," Sharon offered.

Starsky looked up and there was a great sadness in his eyes. He shook his head. "No, it's okay. Well, ya see, back then I went to church on Sunday morning and the priest asked my parents to come into his office. I didn't think anything of it so Nicky and I – that's my brother – sat in our usual pew. My parents came back just as the service started. We went home and I expected my mother to start cooking just like she did every Sunday." He smiled wistfully. "But instead she and my father sent Nicky outside to play and sat me down in the living room. They told me what the priest had told them – that my best friend, Laura, was killed in a car accident with her parents the day before."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Starsky," Sharon said.

Starsky nodded but knew they didn't understand. "Laura was Allison's name when she was a kid."

Sharon gasped. "What?"

"I don't understand though…" Jimmy began.

Again Starsky nodded. "Well, it turned out she and her parents were put into something called the witness protection program. Her father had gotten involved with something…anyway, they moved away and assumed new identities."

Sharon came over and sat down next to Starsky. She rested a hand on his arm. "So you were never told that?"

Starsky's Adam's bobbed up and down as he choked down the emotions. "No," he managed to whisper. "I lost my best friend that day. To me, she was dead."

Sharon put her arm around Starsky and rested her cheek on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry."

"That's rough, Dave."

Starsky shook off the sadness. "Hey, but it has a happy ending. She found me in 1979. Hutch and I were trying to help her – her father was being…well, I shouldn't discuss the details."

"That must have been strange for you."

"That's an understatement. Anyway, her father was killed. We drifted apart again for a while. But then just about a year ago, she and I ran into each other back in Brooklyn. We were both out walking alone in the snow."

"Now that was kismet," Jimmy said, smiling.

Starsky laughed. "That's exactly what I said. We started dating when we got back to Bay City. She actually got pregnant before we got married." Starsky blushed.

Jimmy looked confused. "I thought you had an older daughter; she must be from another marriage?"

Starsky sighed loudly. "No, she is our foster daughter. Her father kidnapped her and her mother ended up getting killed just an hour after they reunited." Sharon looked over at Jimmy and nodded sadly. She had heard the story at the station. "Suzanne and I sort of bonded that day so I asked to take her home with me. We became her foster parents."

"Amazing," Jimmy said quietly. "I assume her father is in prison?" Starsky nodded. "Susie's lucky to have you."

"Nah, I'm the lucky one."

"Aw, that's so sweet." Sharon blinked back a tear.

"Will you ever be able to adopt her?" Jimmy asked.

Starsky shrugged. "Probably not but I don't want to tell Allison that. He is still her father, after all. She may be close to 18 by the time he gets out so it really won't matter. But I will always be her foster Dad."

"Yes, you will." Sharon tried to sound chipper but her heart was breaking for the older detective.

"That's a pretty amazing story, Dave." Jimmy reached and took the guitar from Starsky. "I think we need to liven this place up a bit, whataya say?"

Sharon stood up and went back to her original seat. "I don't know. I may have to write all this down and make it into a country song." She winked over at Starsky who chuckled.

~ S&H ~

Hutch found himself in an open field. It was dark. He could make out the eerie shapes of trees off to his left and right. In the dim moonlight he could see the edge of a cliff out in front of him.

He heard a rustle to his right and a figure stepped out of the tree line.

_Starsky?_

The figure walked quickly towards the cliff edge.

_Starsky!_

He didn't stop but instead broke out into a run.

_Starsk, stop!_

Hutch was running. He was running to intercept Starsky before he fell—before he jumped. Just as Starsky was inches from the edge – he stopped.

Hutch reached out to grab onto Starsky but didn't need to.

_Hey, Blondie._

_Starsky, what are doing? I thought you were going to jump._

_Me? Nah._

Starsky's 1000 watt smile lit up the night. Hutch relaxed and reached to put a hand on Starsky's shoulder but suddenly he disappeared over the cliff. Hutch threw himself down on the ground and looked over the edge. He could just make out his best friend falling into the black abyss.

_Nooooo!_

"Hutch! Hutch, wake up!" Alice called out as she shook her husband's shoulders.

Hutch's eyes flew open. He sat up in bed, sweat pouring down his face. He leaned his elbows on his legs and raked his hands through his hair. He struggled to get his breathing under control.

"Talk to me," Alice said, resting her hand on Hutch's shoulder. She could feel him shaking.

Hutch shook his head. "I'm sorry. It was just a dream. Go back to sleep. I'm sorry."

"Hutch, you've had some bad dreams before but this was more than that."

Hutch looked over at Alice and tried to smile. "Nightmares can't hurt us, Love. Go back to sleep." Hutch swept Alice's hair off her face and kissed her. He leaned toward her, kissing her again as he pushed her back down onto the pillow. "Now go back to sleep or I'll come up with an idea to keep you awake." He growled and Alice giggled.

Hutch rolled over onto his side. He reached up and snapped off the bedside light. He stared into the darkness and tried to erase the visions of the dream.

~ S&H ~

"Welcome to the Hotel Lurcerna, Mr. Romeo. You are in room 525 facing the pool. Miss Romano will be across the hall in Room 530 and Mr. Starsky will be in the room adjoining yours, Room 529." The woman at the desk handed out the keys and turned to assist the rest of Jimmy's crew. Even though the concert would be cancelled, they needed to keep up appearances and none of the crew really knew what was going on. Starsky could see them all looking at him and Sharon warily.

As Starsky followed the bell hop to the elevators, he was unaware he was being watched. On the far side of the lobby a man in a hotel uniform stepped behind a large potted tree. His eyes narrowed as he watched the Bay City detective cross to the elevators. Once Starsky left the lobby, the man stepped back out into view. He crossed to a bank of payphones, dropped a coin in and dialed a number he knew by heart.

"It's me. We have a problem. Remember Starsky and Hutchinson? Yeah. Well, Starsky just checked into the hotel. No, no sign of the blond yet but you know one is never seen without the other. Yeah, I suppose so. Yeah, I'll ask him." The man hung up, an evil chuckle escaping his lips.

"Rico!" An older man wearing the same uniform snapped. Rico jumped and swung around. "Get back to work, you slacker."

"Yes, sir. Right away." Once the supervisor was out of his sight, Rico scowled. "Not now, old man. I have bigger fish to fry."

Starsky stood and admired the view from his hotel room. He unlocked the connecting door to Jimmy's suite and knocked. Jimmy opened the door and welcomed Starsky in.

"Jimmy, let's leave these doors unlocked at all times, okay? You can come in anytime, too."

"Thanks a lot, Dave." Jimmy stood staring out the window.

"Somethin' wrong?"

Jimmy glanced nervously over at Starsky. "I'm trying not to think about tomorrow. And I usually start working on the set list for the show and then head down to the venue to rehearse."

Starsky nodded in understanding. "Your crew really needs to know there won't be a show."

"What will I tell them?"

"Would you like me to speak to them?" Starsky asked, but Jimmy shook his head.

"No, it needs to come from me. I wish Em was here.

"I know. Don't go into any details but explain you will be calling off the show."

Jimmy nodded then picked up the phone to call a meeting of his crew. He hung up the phone a few minutes later. "I'm going down stairs to meet with them. Do you want to come along?"

"No, I don't want them to feel uncomfortable. I'll let Sharon know where you are going and then I'm going to scope out the hotel, check out the underground garage where you are supposed to make the drop."

Starsky stopped by Sharon's room across the hall then took the stairs down the five flights. He strolled through the lobby, checked out the gym and the indoor pool and then headed down the stairs into the garage. He didn't notice the dark-haired hotel worker following him.

After looking around the garage and getting a feel for the layout, Starsky turned to head back upstairs. He sensed the fist coming at him before he saw it but he wasn't quick enough and saw stars as the first blow struck him in the left eye. Stunned, he reached for his gun but his assailant immediately kicked it from his hand and it sailed behind a parked car.

Starsky then got angry and rallied. Clasping his two fists together he swung back and struck the man on the temple. He then lunged, straddled him and punched him in the face. Starsky grabbed the wrists of the attacker, clenched his thighs tight around the man's legs and looked at him.

"Rico? Rico Alonso?" Starsky said, surprised he knew the man. Rico struggled against Starsky's grip. "Oh calm, down."

"Get off me, pig!"

"Now Rico, is that anyway to speak to an old friend? Long time no see." Starsky knew his flippant attitude would rile the conman. "Now, what are you doing jumping me like that? Did McGuire send you?"

"McGuire? Who the hell is that? And who tipped you off about this gig?"

Starsky's brow furrowed. "Wait a minute…what gig?" Rico struggled against the grip Starsky had on his arms and didn't reply. "Tell ya what. If I let you loose, do you promise to no try to punch me again?"

Rico glared at Starsky for a minute and then said, "Fine, let me go."

Slowly Starsky loosened his grip on Rico's wrists. When Rico just rubbed his wrist and waited for Starsky to get off of him, Starsky hopped up onto his feet and extended a hand to help Rico up. Rico snarled at him and pushed himself up to a standing position.

"There you go again, hurting my feelings." Starsky sported a pout. Rico scoffed and Starsky shrugged. "So are you gonna explain to me why you jumped me?"

"I thought you were trying to break up this sweet deal I have going here," Rico answered honestly.

Starsky started looking around on the floor of the garage for his gun. "Ah, I see. So you left Bay City and came down here to lovely Tijuana to...let's see…set up a theft ring, perhaps."

Rico eyed the cop suspiciously. "Maybe."

Starsky found his gun and slipped it back into its holster. He leaned back against a shiny black Town Car and folded his arms. He crossed one ankle over the other. "I think we have a misunderstanding here, Rico, buddy." He saw the man bristle at the nickname and held in a smirk. "I'm just here on vacation minding my own business. Then you get it in your head that I'm after you and your penny ante business."

Rico glowered at Starsky. "Well, up in Bay City…"

"Come on, Rico," Starsky cut in, "you should know I don't have any jurisdiction down here." He waited for the other man to digest the statement. "So, in the interest of international peace and understanding, I want you to stay out of my way and in return, I'll stay out of your business." Starsky uncrossed his legs and stood straight up but kept his arms crossed. He regarded the man as he thought about the offer.

"Well…yeah, okay."

Starsky stuck out a hand and Rico cautiously shook it. "Well, all right. Now get out of here and don't let me see you around again until I leave the day after tomorrow. Got it?"

"Got it," Rico said as he skittered away toward the stairwell.

When he was alone, Starsky grimaced and carefully palpated his left eye. "Oh man, both Laura and Hutch are gonna flip when they see this." Starsky hurried to the exit.

Upstairs, he let himself into his hotel room, thankful that Jimmy was still downstairs with his crew. Starsky crossed through the connecting door and went to the bar. He took a towel and filled it with ice. He then sat down on the couch and gingerly placed the ice on his sore eye.

~ S&H ~

Hutch was nervous the next few days but relaxed whenever Starsky was able to call him. Dobey had Hutch on desk duty while Starsky was gone which Hutch was glad about but it also made the day drag on endlessly.

Two days later, Dobey came out of his office as Hutch got ready to head home for the night. Hutch looked up expectantly. "The Mexican authorities just contacted me. Jimmy was able to pick up the drugs."

"It went smoothly?" Hutch asked.

"Smooth as silk," Dobey said and smiled as Hutch let out a relieved breath. "The concert was cancelled so they will be back in town by noon tomorrow. Why don't you sleep in and then head straight over to the penthouse."

"Thanks, Captain. I will call you when I know how the deal with McGuire will go down."

The next day, Hutch let himself into the penthouse with the key the manager had given him. He paced nervously for a while then went to the window and tried to enjoy the view. That wasn't working until he saw the large black and silver tour bus coming toward the hotel. Twenty minutes later, Jimmy came into the hotel room followed by Starsky.

"Hey there, Hutch." Starsky called out.

Hutch put a finger to his lips and pointed at Jimmy.

"Naw, no more wire," Starsky said, tossing his duffle bag on the floor near the door. He reached and took the policewoman's suitcase from her.

"Thanks, Starsky," she said with a grin.

"What happened to it?" Hutch asked.

Starsky looked over at Jimmy who smirked and looked embarrassed. "Those tour buses aren't a very smooth ride, you know. It _slipped_ and landed in the john." He looked over at Starsky and the two shared a laugh.

"Well, I'm glad you two had some fun," Hutch said, sounding annoyed. "I was here by myself, nervous as hell."

Starsky came over and smacked Hutch on the back, "Aw, sorry, Pal. Come on, let's order some food while we wait for McGuire to contact Jimmy." He headed for the phone.

"Starsk, isn't that a little presumptuous?" Hutch asked, glancing nervously over at Jimmy.

"No way, Jimmy doesn't mind, do ya?"

"Hell no, Dave. Be my guest. Order whatever you want. Man, I need a shower. I'll only be a minute and there is a phone in the bathroom so I'll get it if it rings."

Starsky was thumbing through the room service menu and looked up with admiration in his eyes. "A phone in the bathroom? No kidding?"

Jimmy nodded and headed down the hall.

Hutch grabbed Starsky and swung him around. "You've got a black eye? When did that happen and were you planning on telling me or did you just plan to walk around with your right side facing me for the next few days?"

Starsky rolled his eyes, "Don't sweat it, Hutch." He saw Hutch open his mouth to start a tirade so he put up his hands. "Okay, I'll tell ya. It was Rico Alonso."

"Rico? Where?"

"He has a little robbery gig set up at the hotel where we stayed in Tijuana. He thought I was there because of that. You remember, Hutch, he isn't exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer. I was sure to let the Mexican police know all about him just as we left." Starsky snickered and went back to looking at the menu. Hutch let out a sigh and went and sat down on the couch.

"He's a great guy, ya know that, Hutch?"

"Who, Rico?" Hutch said sarcastically.

"No, not Rico. Jimmy," Starsky replied loudly.

"I can see you two have bonded."

"Hey, don't be jealous. Ya know I still love ya." Starsky winked at Hutch then dialed room service. Hutch crossed his arms and glared back at Starsky.

An hour later, Starsky sat back satisfied. Jimmy shook his head. "I have never seen a man eat as much as you do, Dave." Hutch scoffed quietly and Starsky grinned. The phone rang and everyone tensed.

Jimmy went to answer it. He nodded over to Starsky. He spoke to McGuire and wrote down the information on the pad near the phone. "Yeah, I have the address. No, it got wet and I guess it stopped working. Yeah, okay. Yes, I understand. I'll be there tomorrow. Then you'll leave me alone?" Jimmy pulled the phone away from his ear then put the receiver down. "He didn't answer me, he just hung up."

Starsky came to his side and picked up the pad of paper. "Don't worry, Jimmy. We'll get him and put him away. You won't have to worry about him anymore." He turned toward Hutch. "Looks like an address down near the water."

"Yeah," Jimmy said. "He said it was an abandoned marina."

"I know that place," Hutch said, standing up and joining Starsky at the desk.

"I'm going to go down to the lobby and call Dobey. I don't trust the phones here, ya never know." Starsky grabbed a pencil from the desk and left the hotel room.

Jimmy stood at the piano and tapped mindlessly on the keys. Hutch sat back down on the couch. "Don't worry, Jimmy. We won't let anything happen to you."

Jimmy looked over at Hutch and nodded. "I want to thank you for your help, Ken. You too, Sharon," he said to the policewoman.

"My pleasure, Jimmy. It has been nice to get to know you even though I'm not a fan." Sharon laughed and Jimmy smiled. Hutch looked over at Sharon and she winked. "I'm a country music fan myself." She leaned back. "Give me Waylon Jennings, Crystal Gayle or Willie any day.

Jimmy sat down at the piano and began to play. Sharon looked on in amazement as he began to play 'I Can Help,' which Hutch recognized as one of the top songs from the previous decade. Jimmy began to sing and at the second verse, Sharon began to sing with him. Hutch sat back and listened, clapping when they finished.

Sharon laughed. "Well, hot damn, you _are_ good!"

"Thank you, you aren't so bad yourself," Jimmy said, smiling.

The two people started talking about music so Hutch began to gather the dishes and place them back on the room service cart. Starsky came back in not long after.

"It's all set. Dobey will have back-up ready but in case McGuire is watching, he won't move them in until after we get there." Starsky went over the plan with Jimmy and Hutch. Sharon would not be in on the bust and would head back to the station when Jimmy, Starsky and Hutch left the next morning.

When Jimmy left the room, Hutch whispered to Sharon, "Do you mind keeping him singing. I think he needs the distraction."

"Sure thing, Hutch," Sharon replied with a smile.

Jimmy came back in the room. Starsky came over to him and reached out a hand. "Jimmy, I'll be heading home now. I miss my family. Hutch will be staying with you and Sharon tonight. I'll see you in the morning."

"Dave, thank you. Please tell your wife how grateful I was to have you on that bus with me the past few days."

Starsky smiled, "I will, thank you. Sharon, thanks for helping us out on this. Hutch, I will see you at 9 tomorrow morning. We head to the marina for a 10 AM bust."

"See ya, Starsk," Hutch said as he picked up one of Jimmy's acoustic guitars. "Do you mind, Jimmy?"

"No, not at all."

Starsky smiled at the group and left the penthouse.

Starsky pulled into the driveway and trotted up the steps to the front door. Before he could get the key in the lock, the door flew open. Allison wrapped her arms around his neck. "Oh David, I missed you."

"I missed you too, Doll. Where is my big boy? And is Susie still at school?"

"Yes, she'll be home in about 45 minutes. Davey is taking a nap. What happened to your eye?" Allison asked as she reached to touch his face.

Starsky brushed her hand away. "Oh nothing, the tour bus turned just as I stood up. I missed the kids so much." He pulled Allison toward him. He felt bad lying to her but he would explain it all later. "But I missed you most of all, Beautiful." His eyebrows wiggled and she laughed.

"We do have some time alone, for once," Allison said, also wiggling her eyebrows.

Starsky scooped her up off her feet and headed down the hall to their bedroom. Allison covered her mouth to keep from giggling too loudly and waking the baby.

After Susie got off the bus and Alice picked Jamie up from kindergarten, the two families got together on the Hutchinson's back porch. Susie pulled her chair close to Starsky and sat down. Starsky grabbed her hand and held onto it, making her smile. Jamie climbed up on his lap and took his other hand.

Allison laughed. "Hey, what about me? You need another hand for me to hold."

"Oh, I got something for you to hold," Starsky said then winced when Allison pinched him on the back of the arm. "Sorry."

"Why don't I take the kids for the night," Alice suggested through a giggle.

"No, I want to have them with me tonight. I missed them so much," Starsky said as he leaned over and rubbed noses with Suzanne. "Besides, Laura and I had a chance to get reacquainted already." He winked at Allison who blushed.

"Well, at least stay for supper. I'll be lonely without Hutch home."

"Sure, Alice. That would be nice," Allison said. "I'll be glad when this is all over."

"From your mouth to God's ears, Sugar," Alice said with a sigh.

"You know, Alice, Jimmy Romeo is an amazing guy," Starsky said. He wiggled his nose because it was itchy but both his hands were busy holding Susie's and Jamie's. Allison reached over and rubbed it for him. "Ah, thanks."

"He really is," Alice replied. "So talented, smart and giving. I hope this situation doesn't sour him from helping people."

"After spending time with him, I don't think it will. He showed me his other sketch books and told me the stories of people that he's helped all over the country. Philanthropy is in his blood. Gareth McGuire is just a no-talent greedy con man, that dirty, rotten…" Starsky didn't finish his thought since the kids were there.

~ S&H ~

The next morning, Starsky headed into the back door of the hotel and let himself into the Penthouse.

"Are we ready? Dobey has a car – actually, a VW bus – in the hotel parking lot. The valet will bring it to you when you go down. Hutch and I will go out before you and hide in the back just like we talked about."

Jimmy nodded nervously. Sharon came from down the hall with her suitcase. "Jimmy, I'm leaving. Good luck today."

Jimmy took the suitcase and placed it on the floor. He wrapped Sharon in a hug. "Thank you for everything, Sharon."

Sharon blushed as Jimmy released her. She put out her hand and Jimmy shook it. "It was an honor to get to know you. Maybe I'll loosen my standards a bit and come to one of your shows." She smiled devilishly.

Jimmy laughed, "Well, just let me know and I'll get you front row seats."

"Hey, can I get in on that?" Starsky asked but Hutch jabbed him in the ribs. "Ow. Cut it out. I'm just asking." Sharon laughed and picked up her suitcase. Hutch closed his eyes and shook his head with disgust for his partner.

After Sharon left, Starsky reviewed the plan with Jimmy once more then he and Hutch left to position themselves in the van. Jimmy came down a few minutes later with a large silver briefcase containing the drugs. The valet, who was actually an undercover detective, brought the van to the front of the hotel and handed the keys off to Jimmy. Jimmy handed him some folded bills.

"You don't need to tip me, Mr. Romeo. I'm a police officer," the man said with a smile.

"Oh, right. Sorry. Force of habit."

"Not that I don't appreciate it."

Jimmy climbed into the Volkswagen and drove out onto the street. "I'll take that tip if you still have it, Jimmy," he heard Starsky say from the back. "Ow, Hutch, cut it out. I was just joking, geez."

Jimmy smiled despite being nervous. "I'm going to miss you guys."

"Oh, that reminds me," Hutch's voice came from behind him. "Alice invited you and Emily to dinner tomorrow night."

"That sounds fantastic, Hutch. Thank you. My manager cancelled my next two concerts to give me a chance to regroup after this and I would love to come to your home."

After a moment, he heard Starsky whisper, "Am I invited?"

"Yes, yes, you are invited," Hutch said loudly and Jimmy laughed again.

Jimmy approached the marina and, as planned, slowed down next to a large building so that Starsky and Hutch could jump out. They split up so that they could surround McGuire.

Jimmy made the turn into the parking lot of the abandoned marina. He stopped where McGuire had instructed him to. He looked around and saw an old blue sedan but didn't see McGuire. He picked up the briefcase from the seat next to him and exited the vehicle. As he did so, McGuire stepped out from behind a shed. He stood with his back to the water's edge which made it impossible for Starsky and Hutch to come up from behind.

"Is that the stuff?" McGuire called out to Jimmy.

"Yes. Just take it and go." Jimmy placed the briefcase down on the ground and turned to leave.

"Not so fast, rock star! Stay right there until I check out that case." McGuire pulled a gun from his belt.

Jimmy nervously put his hands up. "Okay, okay."

McGuire squatted down and opened the case with one hand, the other keeping the gun trained on Jimmy. In the shadows, both Starsky and Hutch were nervous about making a move with Jimmy so vulnerable. McGuire closed the case and stood up. He grinned happily.

"All right, you can go."

"You'll leave me and my family alone now?" Jimmy asked. He knew Hutch had stressed for him to get in the van and leave right away but he didn't want this lowlife bothering him again.

"Yeah," McGuire sneered, "for now."

Jimmy opened his mouth to argue but saw movement to his right. Starsky stepped out of the shadows, his gun pointed at McGuire.

"Hold it right there, McGuire. You're under arrest."

Hutch stepped out from his hiding spot. "Don't make a move."

McGuire looked back and forth between Starsky and Hutch. He then looked at Jimmy. "You dirty snitch."

Starsky could see McGuire tighten his finger on the trigger of his gun so he took off running, pushing Jimmy aside just as McGuire pulled the trigger. The bullet ricocheted off the grill of the Volkswagen. Hutch shot at McGuire but the man dove for the ground and rolled over to the shed. Before McGuire could turn and take aim, Starsky grabbed Jimmy by the collar and dragged him closer to the VW. He pushed him under it. Hutch had jumped behind some crates and was waiting for a chance to get McGuire in his sites.

Starsky scrambled under the van after Jimmy as McGuire took aim and shot. The bullet hit Starsky in the thigh. He yelled out in pain.

"Dave!" Jimmy called out. He saw Starsky's face twist in pain. He heard Hutch take another shot but the bullet hit the side of the shed. Jimmy climbed out from under the van, still out of sight of McGuire. Starsky didn't want to call attention to him so he kept his mouth shut. He reached to try to grab Jimmy's leg but he was off and running toward the shed. Jimmy came up to McGuire so fast, the man was taken by surprise. Jimmy lunged himself at McGuire knocking him backwards down ten feet into the water. Jimmy lost his balance and fell in after him.

"Jimmy!" Hutch called out and ran to the water's edge. Before he reached it, he heard a shot. By the time Hutch reached the spot where the men fell, McGuire was starting to swim away. Jimmy floated face down. Hutch glanced back and saw Starsky pulling himself out from under the van, dragging his injured leg. The sound of police sirens approaching could be heard. Hutch aimed and shot at McGuire. The man struggled for a moment and then slipped under the water, blood clouding the murky surface.

Hutch dove into the cold water near Jimmy. He grabbed onto the man and turned him over. Hooking one arm around Jimmy, Hutch began to swim to a nearby floating dock. He managed to pull himself out of the water then with all his strength pulled Jimmy onto the dock. He heard Starsky calling for him as the black and whites approached but he knew Starsky wouldn't hear him over the noise. He laid Jimmy flat and began CPR.

When the sirens died down, Hutch stopped CPR and yelled, "I need help down here!" He then returned to breathing for Jimmy. Suddenly, Jimmy coughed and water spurted from his mouth. "That's it, take a breath, Jimmy." Hutch rolled him onto his side as he continued to cough up water. He looked up and saw officers above him. "Call for an ambulance – hurry. And my partner's hurt too."

"We have him, he's okay," Dobey called down to Hutch. "Ambulances are on the way."

Hutch breathed a sigh of relief. He pulled off his shirt and ripped off the sleeve. Folding it up, he placed it on the wound on Jimmy's abdomen and applied pressure. He heard footsteps coming up the dock behind him.

"Come on, Hutch," Tom White said. He put a hand on Hutch's shoulder. "Let us take over. Starsky is looking for you."

Hutch nodded, too exhausted from the CPR to speak any more. When he saw Tom had put his hand on the wound, Hutch let go and pulled himself to his feet. He wearily climbed the ramp back up to the parking lot. When he saw Starsky on the ground near the Volkswagen, he broke into a run.

Starsky held up a hand. "I'm okay, I'm okay. What about you and Jimmy?"

Hutch examined the bleeding bullet would on Starsky's thigh. "Jimmy's shot in the stomach but I got him breathing." He shook his head, disgusted.

"There was nothin' else we could do, Hutch. It was a bad situation from the start."

"He shouldn't have been in harm's way. I didn't figure McGuire would actually use the gun. I was wrong."

"Hey, we needed to see him take the drugs to get this bust to stick."

Hutch stood up and waved his arms at the water beyond the shed. "Hell of a lot of good that did us. He's dead and Jimmy may die too."

Starsky reached up and grabbed onto Hutch's wrist. He could feel his buddy was cold and beginning to shake. "Hey, sit down here with me, would ya?" Starsky pulled off his jacket and put it around Hutch's shoulders when he sat down.

Hutch hung his head, "Thanks, Starsk."

"Jimmy's gonna make it, Hutch. And Gareth McGuire is out of the picture for him now."

Hutch nodded in agreement but kept his head low. He began to shake more. Starsky pulled him close and wrapped his arms around him. "Hey, Cap'n, can you find a blanket or something?"

Dobey snapped out some orders and soon a wool blanket was wrapped around Hutch. Another one was tucked around Jimmy who was now lying on the ground nearby. Hutch could hear the ambulances approaching. He looked at Tom White.

"How is he?"

"He's breathing on his own and the bleeding has stopped. I think he's going to be okay, Hutch." Tom smiled.

Hutch wrapped the blanket around him more tightly and leaned back against the VW. "Thank God."

~ S&H ~

"No, I want to help pick the tree," Starsky whined from his hospital bed.

"Starsk, Christmas is only two weeks away. Susie got all those great ornaments but has no tree to decorate."

Starsky smiled down at his foster daughter who stood next to his bed holding his hand. Allison stood on the other side holding Starsky's other hand.

"Yeah, but this is my first family Christmas," Starsky said, looking down at Susie, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "I want to be there when we pick out a tree."

"Yeah, fine. Just don't come crying to me when you have a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree."

"What's that?" Susie asked.

"What's that?" Starsky asked in surprise. "Haven't you ever seen 'A Charlie Brown Christmas'?" Susie shook her head. "Well, we need to find out when that will be on television so we can watch it together."

"My Mommy and I watched Rudolph," Susie said sadly.

Starsky felt Allison squeeze his hand harder. He looked up at her and smiled sadly then looked back at Susie. "Can I watch that with you this year?" Susie nodded.

"Me too?" Allison asked and felt better when Susie's eyes lit up and she nodded vigorously. "I can't wait."

A nurse came into the room. "Mr. Starsky, I know you are going home in the morning but you will have a roommate tonight." She held the door open and two orderlies pushed a gurney into the room.

"Jimmy!" Hutch said as he was the first to see his face.

"Yeah, it's me," Jimmy said weakly.

"Jimmy, you are out of ICU, that's t'rrific," Starsky said.

Once he was settled in the bed and his IV was hung on the pole beside him, the nurse tucked the blankets around him saying she would be back in a few minutes to take his vitals.

"Jimmy, I'd like you to meet my wife, Allison."

"It's so nice to meet you, Allison."

Allison let go of Starsky's hand and went to Jimmy's bedside. "Oh, Jimmy, I can't thank you enough for what you did."

"Me? All I managed to do was get me and Dave shot."

"I heard the story. You were protecting David – and Ken. Yeah, it was sort of a bad move," Allison stopped and chuckled. Jimmy laughed then winced. She patted him on the shoulder, "but you tried to protect them." She leaned over and kissed Jimmy's forehead. Jimmy blushed.

There was a knock on the door and Emily came in. "There you are, brother. Oh and the whole clan is here! How are you Dave?"

"I'm doing great, Emily. This is my wife, Allison and our daughter, Susie."

Emily shook Allison's hand. "And where is little Davey?"

"Home with Ken's wife and daughter," Allison answered.

Hutch came to Jimmy's side. "Don't worry, you'll get to meet them. That dinner invitation still stands as soon as you are up to it, Jimmy. We are going to get going so you can get your rest."

"I'll be there as soon as I am able," Jimmy said. "And don't forget, you are all invited to my next concert in the area. Doc said I should be able to get on stage in a couple of months. We already have a Valentine's Day gig booked right here in Bay City."

"Start looking for a baby sitter now," Emily said, smiling.

"Edith and I will do it," Dobey's voice came from the doorway. He came in carrying a large bouquet of yellow and white flowers.

"Cap'n, you've got a deal." Starsky said then introduced Jimmy and Emily to Captain Dobey.

"I'm not staying. I have to get home but I just wanted to drop these by," Dobey said, clumsily holding up the bouquet. Allison took them and went to find a vase.

"Captain, thank you so much for giving me the best of the best to help me and my sister," Jimmy said.

"I'm sorry you were injured in the process, Mr. Romeo."

"I'm just glad you are okay and he is out of our life," Emily said.

Dobey said his goodbyes and left.

"Okay, I'm really going this time. Susie, you can come with me. Allison will stay with Stars for a while more and pick you up at our house later, okay?" Hutch reached out and Susie took his hand.

"Hey, where's my kiss, Susie Q?" Starsky asked.

Hutch picked up Suzanne and held her so that she could kiss Starsky.

"I love you, Stars. I'm glad you didn't die like my Mommy did."

Starsky heard the gasp from Allison and squeezed her hand tight. "I'm not going anywhere, Sweetie."

When Hutch left, Allison wiped a tear from her eye. She looked nervously over at Jimmy and Emily.

"It's okay, Allison. Starsky told me the whole story when we were on the bus. I hope you don't mind, but I told Emily." Jimmy smiled sweetly at Allison.

"No, that's okay," Allison said through a sniffle.

The nurse came in and closed the curtain between Starsky and Jimmy's beds. Emily said she was going to get some dinner and would come back later.

Allison pulled a chair up next to Starsky's bed. She held his hand in hers and rested her cheek on his forearm.

"You okay?" Starsky asked.

Allison nodded but didn't lift her head.

Starsky stroked her hair with his free hand. "No you're not."

Allison picked her head up and faced him. Her eyes were glistening with tears. "No, really. I'm just glad you are okay."

"What Suzanne said really shook you up."

"Didn't it shake you too?" Allison said reaching for a tissue.

"We'll get through this. She's a strong girl. She'll be okay."

Allison just nodded, too overwhelmed to speak for a moment. When she finally pulled herself together, she said, "I just wish she was ours forever, David."

Starsky smiled and stroked her cheek. "Me too. But her father won't be out of jail anytime soon, so she's ours for a long time. Between the kidnapping and the manslaughter of her mother, the judge threw the book at him. You know that."

Allison nodded. "I know, but I still want her to be _really_ ours." Allison quickly wiped her eyes as the nurse pulled open the curtain between the beds. She looked nervously over at Jimmy. "Hey, you know what? I'm going to see if I can find Emily in the cafeteria. I'll be back later for a goodnight kiss."

"I'll be here waiting for you," Starsky said taking her hand and kissing it. He looked at her lovingly until she was gone from the room. He looked over at Jimmy and grinned self-consciously.

"You have a beautiful family, Dave."

"Don't I? I'm so happy, I could bust wide open."

Jimmy chuckled, "Don't do that. I'm sure as heck not cleaning it up." The two men laughed. "I hope I can have a family someday soon."

"It'll happen. You'll be working, living your life and then when you least expect it, there she'll be." Starsky smiled at Jimmy then looked at the door where Allison had gone.

"Like John Lennon said, 'Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans.'"

"I like that – and it is very true." Starsky nodded.

~ S&H ~

Jimmy was released from the hospital a week later and went home to Utah to spend the holidays with his family. Starsky, Allison, Hutch, Alice and all the kids went to pick out their trees a few days after Starsky was released. He hobbled through the rows of trees on his crutches. 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' had been on T.V. the night before and Susie truly wanted a Charlie Brown tree. She settled on a rather straggly one and Starsky bought it for her. Once they got it home and decorated it with all the things that Susie and Allison had bought, it truly was a beautiful tree.

On Christmas morning, Starsky and his family, including his mother and brother, opened their presents from Santa while Hutch and his family opened theirs. Alice and Hutch's mother cooked up a huge breakfast and everyone gathered at the Hutchinson's to open their presents from one another.

The girls were passing out presents and ripping open their own. Christmas music played on the stereo. Hutch's father helped Jamie put together a toy she wanted to try. Starsky held Davey on his lap as he clumsily opened a gift from Hutch with one hand.

"Aw, Hutch, more track and cars for the train set. I love it, Buddy. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Starsk."

Starsky looked around the room. He wrapped both arms around Davey and kissed the top of his head, breathing in his baby scent. Hutch watched him.

"What are you thinking, Starsk?"

"I thought last Christmas was the best Christmas I could ever have," he said, referring to Hutch and Alice coming to Brooklyn and getting married, "but look at us now, Hutch."

Hutch looked around and smiled and nodded. "It is amazing, isn't it? It couldn't get much better than this."

There was a knock at the door. Susie ran to open it. Captain Dobey and his wife, Edith, stood on the stoop. "Well hello, Suzanne," Edith said.

"Captain Dobey, what are you doing here?" Hutch asked. As Dobey and Edith stepped inside, followed by their daughter, Rosie, Hutch realized there was someone else with them.

"Christine?" Starsky said, getting up from the couch and handing Davey to his mother. "Mom, everyone, this is Christine Maher, Susie's case worker." Starsky led the woman to the couch. "What are you doing here on Christmas Day?"

"I won't stay. I just wanted to bring you a gift."

Allison came to Starsky's side. Susie clung nervously to Allison. "What kind of gift?" she asked.

"Well, I learned this a few days ago but I thought I'd save it for a special day." Christine broke out in huge grin. "Andrew Speelman has given up his parental rights." The room hushed as everyone drew in a shocked breath. Christine stooped down to face Susie. "Suzanne, would you like to be adopted by the Starskys?"

"Yes!" Susie exclaimed breathlessly.

Christine stood back up. "I've already started the paperwork. It shouldn't be long until Susie becomes your daughter."

Allison was the first to let out her held breath, "Oh, my God. Oh, David!"

Starsky scooped Susie up into his arms and then hugged Allison with the little girl between them. After a moment, they loosened their grip and Starsky looked at Susie. "Do you know what this means?"

"You will be my Daddy?" Susie asked and Starsky nodded, tears streaming down his face, his smile beaming.

Susie reached out for Allison who came close to kiss her cheek multiple times. "And you will be my new Mommy."

"Yes, Sweetheart. I will be your Mommy. And Davey will be your real brother."

Everyone in the room could no longer hold in their excitement and there was a round of cheers and applause.

Christine backed up toward the door. "I will call you on Monday," she said as she reached for the knob. Starsky put Susie down. She was quickly scooped up by Hutch and everyone took turns kissing her and welcoming her into the family 'for real.'

Starsky came up to Christine and opened his mouth to thank her but was so overwhelmed he just grabbed her and gave her a bear hug. Finally he let her go. "Thank you so much. We never expected this."

"Well, truthfully, neither did I. But, Speelman suddenly asked to speak to his lawyer and said he had too much to do when he got out and couldn't be saddled with a child. He's been a model prisoner these past two weeks and is has asked for a job in the prison library to get on the fast track to being paroled.

"What can a loser like him have to look forward to?"

"From what I hear, he stands to come into some money when he is released. There doesn't seem to be anything illegal going on, but…" she stopped when she saw Starsky's expression. "What is it?"

"I think I know where that money is coming from and no, it isn't illegal."

"Well, that's good. As I said, I will call you on Monday. You go back and enjoy your holiday. Merry Christmas, Dave."

"Merry, Merry Christmas to you too, Christine."

Starsky shut the door when Christine left and stood there thinking. "Jimmy, did you have something to do with this?" he said softly to himself. He smiled and shrugged knowing that he may never know for sure.

He joined the others again and went back to opening his new train set. Susie came to join him. As everything started to settle down, Alice came into the room. She looked shaken.

"Sweetie, are you all right?" Hutch asked, coming to her side.

"I…I…" she stammered.

"What is it?" Hutch asked, his heart beating fast. Everyone stopped and looked at the couple. Alice slowly opened her hands to reveal a white plastic stick. "What is that?" Hutch asked.

"It's a home pregnancy test."

Allison gasped and put her hands on her cheeks. "I knew it!"

"You did?" Alice asked then laughed. She looked at Hutch sweetly. "You're gonna be a Daddy again, Handsome."

Hutch stood staring at Alice in shock. Starsky came over and threw his arms around him. "Congratulations, Partner, you old dog." He clapped Hutch on the back a few times which seem to finally rouse him.

"A…a Dad?" Hutch now stammered.

Alice nodded, "Yup."

Everyone gathered into a massive group hug with Allison, Starsky, Alice and Hutch in the middle.

"Best Christmas ever." Hutch exclaimed.

"Nope – best DAY ever!" Starsky replied and everyone laughed.

~ S&H ~

"I can't believe we are here," Alice said. They were seated in the third row at the amphitheater waiting for Jimmy Romeo's Valentine's Day concert to start.

"I know, out after dark with no kids," Allison added. "Pinch me. Ow! _David_…"

"Well you said it," Starsky said, chuckling. He threw his left arm over her shoulders.

"Starsky, grow up," Hutch said from his right. Starsky turned and stuck out his tongue. "Oh, that's mature. I can't believe you have two children and you haven't yet grown up yourself." Starsky threw his right arm around Hutch's shoulders. "Alice, switch seats with me," Hutch whined.

"Shh, stop it right now, boys," Alice said in a whisper as the lights went down and people began to chant Jimmy Romeo's name.

Jimmy looked and sounded great. He did a set of rocking favorites. As the applause died down, he came to the microphone. "How's everyone doing here in Bay City?" The response was deafening. "All right! You know this city is one of my favorite places. And I have some of my favorite people here in the audience. Jimmy pointed down to Starsky and Hutch. "Dave, Ken, thank you for being here and thank you for everything." Starsky blushed deep red and looked around at all the people craning their necks to see them. He then looked up at Jimmy and mouthed 'thank you' back at him. Jimmy winked, knowingly.

Jimmy continued, "Well, since it is Valentine's Day, we can't have a show without a few love songs, right?" The crowd cheered. "And I have another special person to help me sing one for you. Sharon?" Jimmy put his hand out toward his right and Sharon came onto the stage.

"It's Sharon Walker! I wondered why she wasn't here," Starsky exclaimed.

The room grew silent as the song began. It was 'You and I,' an Eddie Rabbitt/Crystal Gayle duet. Their voices blended perfectly. Hutch turned toward Starsky and whispered, "Wow." Starsky nodded in agreement.

As the song faded, the crowd got on their feet, clapping wildly. "Beautiful, isn't she?" Jimmy asked and a roar came up. "Well, I'm glad you like her because I've asked her to be my wife."

Starsky hooted and hollered. He put his fingers in his mouth and whistled sharply. Hutch covered his left ear and shot him a disgusted look. Hutch then looked over at Alice. 'You sure you won't trade seats with me?" Alice just laughed and Hutch smiled. He then yelled out, "All right, Sharon! Congratulations!" Sharon blew two kisses towards Starsky and Hutch.

Hutch looked over at his best friend and grinned.

**The End**


End file.
